The sudden firing of a young software developer in Bengaluru has brought attention to the challenges faced by freshers in startups. The developer was let go via a text message from a board member after just 2.5 months in his first full-time job.
The fresher was hired as a frontend developer and was soon tasked with backend work for which he had no prior experience. He felt overwhelmed from the beginning and nearly 70% of his assigned tasks were from outside his expertise. The lack of support and delayed feedback made his job nearly impossible. The challenges were compounded by poor communication as many of his help requests went unanswered or took days to receive a response.
The firing came without any warning and he was left with a feeling of being lost. He wondered if he was set up there to fail as he was given such tasks for which he was not prepared. Comments in huge number poured in like criticizing the management and offering some advices for his future roles.
The incident is not an isolated one as many startups often hire freshers with limited experience and expect them to deliver beyond their capacity. Startups are known for equipped with challenging environments and there is a fine line between encouraging growth and setting employees up for failure.
A LinkedIn post by a tech CEO sparked further controversy when he claiming that firing people is really good.
The story is of course a wake-up call for the startups, but the young companies should practically create a better environment where freshers can learn, grow and contribute.
